Sessions

Article V of the Arkansas Constitution establishes when the Arkansas General Assembly, of which the Senate is a part, is to convene. Section 5 of Article V establishes the beginning date for regular sessions, but this date has been changed by law (as Section 5 allows). Under the law, the Arkansas legislature convenes its regular session on the second Monday in January of every odd numbered year. The fiscal session is convened on the second Monday in February of every even numbered year.[4]

Section 17 of Article V limits the length of sessions to sixty days, unless extended by a two-thirds vote of each legislative house.

2014

Major issues

Major issues in the 2014 legislative session included private option Medicaid expansion and a $5 billion proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The legislature also established an entrepreneurship program for college seniors called the Arkansas Fellowship.[6] Due to a 2008 constitutional amendment, sessions held in even-numbered years may only address financial matters.[7]

2013

In 2013, the Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 17.

Major issues

Major issues during the 2013 legislative session included an agreement on expanding the Medicaid program by providing private insurance for low-income residents, a two percent increase in per-student funding for public schools and a bill that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls.[8] During the first budget negotiations of the year, the Joint Budget Committee rejected a pay increase for elected officials.[9]

The governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget. The legislature is not legally required to pass a balanced budget, but the governor is required by statute to sign a balanced budget.[11]

Cost-benefit analyses

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative released a report in July 2013 which indicated that cost-benefit analysis in policymaking led to more effective uses of public funds. Looking at data from 2008 through 2011, the study's authors found that some states were more likely to use cost-benefit analysis while others were facing challenges and lagging behind the rest of the nation. Among the challenges states faced were a lack of time, money and technical skills needed to conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses. Arkansas was one of 29 states with mixed results regarding the frequency and effectiveness in its use of cost-benefit analysis.[12]

Ethics and transparency

Following the Money report

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer-focused nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released its annual report on state transparency websites in April 2014. The report, entitled "Following the Money," measured how transparent and accountable state websites are with regard to state government spending.[13] According to the report, Arkansas received a grade of B- and a numerical score of 82, indicating that Arkansas was "advancing" in terms of transparency regarding state spending.[13]

Elections

2014

Elections for the office of Arkansas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014; a runoff election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014.

2012

Elections for the office of Arkansas State Senate were held in Arkansas on November 6, 2012. A total of 35 seats were up for election. Although Arkansas senators typically serve four-year terms, they are elected to a two-year term during the first election of the decade. Thus, rather than only half of all senators being up for election, all sitting members were on the ballot in November. The signature filing deadline was March 1, 2012, and the primary election was held on May 22, 2012.

Arkansas State Senators are subject to term limits and may serve no more than 2 four-year terms. In 2012, 10 Arkansas State Senators were termed-out.

The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.

2010

Elections for the office of Arkansas State Senator were held in Arkansas on November 2, 2010. State senate seats in 17 of the 35 districts were on the ballot in 2010. The 17 districts where electoral contests took place in 2010 are: 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 34 and 35.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 8, 2010, and the primary Election Day was May 18, 2010.

According to Article 5 of the Arkansas Constitution, Arkansas state senators are each elected to four-year terms with term limits.[15] However, in the first election after the census, all 35 seats were up for election. The Senators "shall divide themselves into two classes, by lot, and the first class shall hold their places for two years only, after which all shall be elected for four years."

In 2010, candidates running for senate raised a total of $3,771,126 in campaign funds. Their top 10 contributors were:[16]

2000

Elections for the office of Arkansas State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 23, 2000 and a general election on November 7, 2000.

During the 2000 election, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $1,866,727. The top 10 contributors were:[21]

2000 Donors, Arkansas State Senate

Donor

Amount

Bryles, Steve

$56,174

Whitaker, T J

$53,111

Whiteside, John N

$39,460

Wiley, Dorvan

$32,310

Stephens Group

$27,960

Arkansas Republican Party

$25,000

Simes, Alvin L

$21,450

Whitaker, Ruth

$17,916

Entergy

$17,850

Young, Dennis Ray

$15,400

Qualifications

Article 5, Section 4 of the Arkansas Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, nor any one who has not been for two years next preceding his election, a resident of this State, and for one year next preceding his election, a resident of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and Representatives at least twenty-one years of age.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Governor must call for a special election in order to fill the vacancy. The election must be called by the Governor without delay.[22] For all special elections in the Senate, the county that first established the district is responsible for conducting the election.[23]

All special elections must be held on the Second Tuesday of each month. The only other dates an election can be held if the second Tuesday of the month falls on a legal holiday or is in June during an even-numbered year.[24]

Redistricting

The Arkansas Board of Apportionment is responsible for redistricting at the state legislative level. This is one of 11 commissions nationwide that are responsible for redistricting.

2010 census

The Census Bureau releases population data to Arkansas the week of February 7, 2011. Arkansas' population increased by 9.1 percent to 2,926,229 between 2000 and 2010.[25] On July 29, 2011, the Board of Apportionment approved new state legislative maps by a 2-1 vote along party lines. Notably, the town of Alpena (pop. 392) was split up among three Senate districts.

Senators

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Arkansas State Senate from 1992-2013.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Senate but only casts a vote in the case of a tie. In the absence of the Lieutenant Governor, the President Pro Tempore presides over the daily session who is elected by full senate caucus and is also the chief leadership position in the majority caucus.[26]

History

Women in the Senate

Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas was the first woman to be elected to the Senate. She was appointed in 1931 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, Senator Thaddeus Caraway. She was then elected in 1932, and again in 1938 and served until 1945. Since then, 38 women have served in the U.S. Senate.[28][29]

Partisan balance 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Arkansas State Senate for 21 years while the Republicans were the majority for one year. The Arkansas State Senate is 1 of 16 state senates that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. The final year of the study depicted a shift in the Arkansas senate which changed to Republican control.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Arkansas state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Arkansas has never had a Republican trifecta, but did have two Democratic trifectas, between 1992 and 1996 and also between 2007 and 2011. Arkansas has ranked in the bottom-10 of the SQLI ranking for each year of the study. Its highest ranking (41st) occurred in the early 1990s under a Democratic trifecta, while its worst ranking (47th) occurred in 1999 and 2000 under divided government. 2013 was the first year in which Arkansas’s divided government included a Democratic governor and Republican legislature. In all other years of divided government, Arkansas had a Republican governor and a Democratic legislature.

SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 43.18

SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A

SQLI average with divided government: 45.30

Chart displaying the partisanship of Arkansas government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).